
LL Cool J
Known for Acting · 137 credits
- Born
- 1968-01-14 (age 58)
- Place of birth
- Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, USA
- Also known as
- L.L. Cool J · James Todd Smith · Ladies Love Cool James
Biography
James Todd Smith (better known as LL Cool J, an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James; born January 14, 1968) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.
Signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984, his breakthrough came with his single "I Need a Beat" and his landmark debut album, Radio (1985). He achieved further commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Panther (1989), Mama Said Knock You Out (1990), Mr. Smith (1995), and Phenomenon (1997). His twelfth album, Exit 13 (2008), was his last in his long-tenured deal with Def Jam.
A two-time Grammy Award winner, LL Cool J is known for hip hop songs such as "Going Back to Cali", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock the Bells", and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as R&B hits such as "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". In 2010, VH1 placed him on their "100 Greatest Artists Of All Time" list. In 2017, LL Cool J became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2021, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with an award for Musical Excellence.
While he first appeared as a rapper in the movie Krush Groove (performing "I Can't Live Without My Radio"), his first acting part was a small role in a high school football movie called Wildcats. He continued to work in movies from then until 1995 when he landed his own television sitcom, In the House (1995-2000).
He has appeared in numerous films, including Last Holiday, Edison, Mindhunters, S.W.A.T., Deliver Us from Eva, Rollerball, Charlie's Angels, In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, Deep Blue Sea, Halloween H20, B.A.P.S., Toys, and The Hard Way.
Known For
TV Shows (73)

NCIS
2003
as Sam Hanna

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self / Self - Guest

The Daily Show
1996
as Self

Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self - Guest

House
2004
as Clarence

American Dad!
2005
as Sam Hanna (voice)

Late Show with David Letterman
1993
as Self - Guest

Hawaii Five-0
2010
as Sam Hanna

The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self

Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Musical Guest

NCIS: Los Angeles
2009
as Sam Hanna

Conan
2010
as Self - Guest``````

The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022

The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015
as Self

The View
1997
as Self

LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self - Guest

Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self / Self - Guest

30 Rock
2006
as Ridikolus

Hot Ones
2015
as Self

Project Runway
2004
as Self - Guest Judge

American Idol
2002
as Self - Guest Judge

The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest

Oz
1997
as Jiggy Walker

WWE Friday Night SmackDown
1999
as Self

MTV Video Music Awards
1984
as Self - Host

The Tyra Banks Show
2005
as Self

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self

So You Think You Can Dance
2005
The Tony Danza Show
2004
as Self

Lip Sync Battle
2015
as Host

Finding Your Roots
2012
as Self

NCIS: Hawaiʻi
2021
as Sam Hanna

People's Choice Awards
1975
as Self - Presenter

The $100,000 Pyramid
2016
as Self

Steve
2017
as Self

MTV Europe Music Awards
1994
as Self - Presenter

Today
1952
as Self

MTV Unplugged
1989
as Self

Desus & Mero
2019
as Self - Illustrious Guest

In the House
1995
as Marion Hill

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest
1972
as Self - Performer (Times Square)

Rachael Ray
2006

Entertainment Tonight
1981
as Self

Kids' Choice Awards
1987
as Self - Co-Host

The Adventures of Pete & Pete
1993
as Mr. Throneberry

The Chris Rock Show
1997
as Self

The Frank Skinner Show
1995
as Self

Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party
2016
as Self

Yo! MTV Raps
1988
as Self

The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996
as Self

WWII in HD
2009
as Shelby Westbrook (voice)

Last Call with Carson Daly
2002
as Self

106 & Park
2000

Payback
2022
as Self - Funeral Attendee (archive footage)

Shut Up and Dribble
2018
as Self - Musician

The Early Show
1999
as Self

They Call Me Magic
2022
as Self
Spike TV VGA Video Game Awards
2003
Movies (64)

Charlie's Angels
2000
as Mr. Jones

Deep Blue Sea
1999
as Preacher

Last Holiday
2006
as Sean Matthews

Mindhunters
2004
as Gabe Jensen

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
1998
as Ronald 'Ronny' Jones

S.W.A.T.
2003
as Deacon 'Deke' Kaye

Any Given Sunday
1999
as Julian Washington

Grudge Match
2013
as Frankie Brite

Toys
1992
as Patrick Zevo

The Hard Way
1991
as Billy

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
2025
as Self (archive footage)

In Too Deep
1999
as Dwayne Gittens / God

One World: Together at Home
2020
as Self

Slow Burn
2005
as Luther Pinks

2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2022
as Self

Wildcats
1986
as Rapper

Rollerball
2002
as Marcus Ridley

Edison
2005
as Deed

Woo
1998
as Darryl

How Bruce Lee Changed the World
2009
as Self

B.A.P.S
1997
as LL Cool J

Kingdom Come
2001
as Ray Bud Slocumb

Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
2012
as Self

Deliver Us from Eva
2003
as Ray Adams

Touch
1997
as LL Cool J

The Deal
2008
as Bobby Mason

The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles
2014
as Self - Host

2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2023
as Self

A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop
2023
as Self

Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular
2024
as Self

You're Watching Video Music Box
2021
as Self (archive footage)

Stans
2025
as Self

ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
2007
as Self

It's Black Entertainment
2002
as Self (archive footage)

Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute
2015
as Self

SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
2025

Beef
2003
as Self (archive footage)

Krush Groove
1985
as LL Cool J

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
2021
as Self - Hip-Hop Artist (archive footage)
DJ Cinema Presents: Masterpiece Theater Blend Dvd
2009
as Self (archive footage)

NCISverse: The First 1,000
2024
as Self

The Right to Remain Silent
1996
as Charles Red Taylor

Out-of-Sync
1995
as Jason St. Julian

Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018
as Self

Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert
2015
as Self

Ricky Powell: The Individualist
2020
as Self
MVP: Most Valuable Performer
2018

The Show
1995
as Self

Caught Up
1998
as Roger

Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
2012
as Self

A Home for the Holidays: The 20th Anniversary
2018
as Self - Host

Quincy Jones, Music Man
2025
as Self (archive footage)

Sesame Street: Singing with the Stars
2012
as Self

Comin' Up Short
2024
as Self

Hype Williams: The Videos Vol. 1
2002

Big Fun in the Big Town
1986
as Self

LL Cool J Presents The Rock the Bells Festival Celebrating 50 Years of Hip Hop
as Self

Simply Mad About the Mouse
1991
as Self
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: Uncovering America
2019
as Self - Musician and Actor

A Hip Hop Minute
2024
as Self

Future Of The Funk
1991
as Self
Mayweather
2013
as Narrator
The Man
2007
as Manny Baxter

Rapmania: The Roots of Rap
1999
About LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (better known as LL Cool J, an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James; born January 14, 1968) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip hop acts Beastie Boys and Run-DMC. Signed to Def Jam Recordings in 1984, his breakthrough came with his single "I Need a Beat" and his landmark debut album, Radio (1985). He achieved further commercial and critical success with the albums Bigger and Deffer (1987), Walking with a Pa… With 137 credits spanning from 1952 to 2025, LL Cool J has appeared in 64 films and 73 TV shows.
Fans searching for LL Cool J movies, LL Cool J filmography, or the latest projects starring LL Cool J can stream many of these titles on CineFlixo, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular LL Cool J Movies
- Charlie's Angels (2000) — as Mr. Jones
- Deep Blue Sea (1999) — as Preacher
- Last Holiday (2006) — as Sean Matthews
- Mindhunters (2004) — as Gabe Jensen
- Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) — as Ronald 'Ronny' Jones
Where to Watch LL Cool J Films
Most LL Cool J movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring LL Cool J, check our movies catalogue and browse page.